Fencing cool-down and review

Setup

1. The last part of the session. Weapons go point down in the rack or on the floor at the side, masks off and on the floor beside them, and everyone has a drink of water.
2. Have two or three review questions ready from today's session, plus one harder one for experienced fencers.

How it runs

1. Two slow laps of the hall: one lap of easy advances and retreats at half pace, one lap of walking with long, slow breaths, in for four steps and out for four.
2. Stand or sit in a semicircle facing the coach. Gentle stretches held still for about 20 seconds, no bouncing: calves, front of the thigh, hip flexor of the back leg in a low lunge, hamstrings, then the weapon-arm forearm and wrist, and the shoulders.
3. Review: the coach asks short questions, such as 'Which comes first in the lunge, the hand or the foot?', 'Which parry protects the inside line?' or 'When do you attack on preparation?'. Hands up, no calling out, and answers can be shown as well as said.
4. Each fencer names one thing they did well today and one thing to practise before next session.
5. Kit away: check your blade and tell the coach about any kink or crack, hang jackets to dry, wipe the inside of the mask.
6. Line up facing the coach, come to attention and give a final salute (with the hand, or the weapon if your club does). The session is over.

Coaching points

• Calm voice, slower pace: let heart rates and voices come down together.
• Stretch the muscles fencing works hardest: the front leg's thigh and the back leg's calf and hip from all that lunging.
• Make praise specific: name the fencer and what was good, such as a straight arm on every attack.
• Use this time to check for knocks, bruises and sore ankles or knees, and ask about any hits to the mask.
• Keep it brisk so the review doesn't turn into standing around.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the cool-down when the bouts run late.
• Bouncing in the stretches or pushing into pain.
• Only the most confident fencers answering.
• Leaving damaged blades in the club rack for the next fencer.